The Loose Screw
by 6Phantom6
Summary: Had to take it down and re-write it a little. This is a little AU in which somehow Chris is just a pawn in a grander scheme, and he's not such a bad guy. Join some familiar friends as they try to uncover the conspiracy of Total Drama, and all of reality television for that matter.
1. Chapter 1

I had to take this one down and re-write it. But it's about the same; just no 'lost puppy'.

All characters belong to Tom McGillis and Jen Pertsch

/

'They never give up,' he thought as he jumped over another hedge, 'This is getting ridiculous! I need shelter!' A house came into view and he headed for it, grabbing a door knob and finding it locked. "Help!" He screamed as he banged on the door, "Is someone there?! Please help me!" He heard something inside, someone walking to the door, murmuring. He heard the locks being disabled. He stepped away as the door opened, revealing someone familiar.

"Wha-?!" this person gasped as he ran through the doors, shoving her away as he relocked the door, sliding down the wood as he felt his body dangerously close to collapsing. "Chris, what the heck are you doing here?!" She heard her scream, making him look into those glaring, dark eyes of Gwen.

"Gwen," He started out quietly, "Please tell them I am not here if they come."

"What the heck are you talking about?" She asked, "How did you even find me?!" Chris' eyes grew wide as he heard the sounds of a car door opening and closing. He scrambled to take shelter in a closet, leaving the teen to wonder if that just actually happen, and if she should stomp over there and pull him out by his hair. But a knock at the door changed her mind. A peep through the peep hole revealed a man in a black suit and glasses was waiting outside, an uncomfortably warm smile on his lips. She begrudgingly undid the locks save for the chain, and opened the door. "Can I help you?" She asked as she peered through the small crack.

"Sorry to disturb you," the man said with the tip of his hat, "You see, we're on the lookout for a man and sources say that he is in this neighborhood. Have you seen a man that looks like this as of late?" He produced a photo of Chris and held it to her nose. It was possibly an old photo, his black hair was shorter, and was wearing green coveralls stained with oil. "If you have any information," he continued, "It will be a great help." The options weighed on her mind, on one hand, she could send Chris to jail, and never have him bug her for possibly the rest of her life. But on the other hand, this guy was the very definition of suspicious, with bonus points of being a person who could scare one of the most sadistic and evil persons she has personally met.

"Sorry, I haven't seen that guy around." Gwen said.

"I see," the man said as he withdrew the photo, then tipped his hat to her, "Sorry to disturb you. Have a pleasant night and keep your doors locked up tight." He turned to leave as Gwen shut and relocked the door. She peered through the peephole and watched the man walk from her porch and back to his van, shutting the door and driving off. She heard the closet door squeak open and saw Chris' pitiful face peering through the small crack.

"He's gone." She said. As he got out, Gwen got a good look of him, and almost winced. The man's eyes were dull and dark with a lack of sleep, barely struggling to stay open. His hair was unkempt and hung over his face, scraggily and shiny with grease. His overall outfit looked like it was stolen from a bargain bin at a thrift store, dark grey hoodie sported a few holes and stained with oil, black jeans displaying more holes and stains that could be either more oil or blood, and mud-caked sneakers on the verge of falling to pieces. In short, he looked like he hit rock bottom. "What…happened to you?" She croaked out when she finally regained composure.

"Long story," He uttered quietly. "One you don't need to know about. All I can say is they're after me."

"Who's after you?" Gwen asked, "Are they cops? Guys you owe money to? Some guys from the production studio?"

"No." Chris replied, "Nothing like that. They just want to get me. No real big deal, but I just had to get a little shelter. I'll leave right away."

"You're not going anywhere." She said as she blocked the door. But Chris lifted her up and placed her aside. "Seriously, you're not leaving until you tell me what's going on." Gwen continued as she tried to force herself between the man and the door.

"Gwen, I gotta go." Chris urged desperation tainting his usually laid-back voice, "Good girls like you don't need to be involved with things like this."

"I got involved when I covered for your ass," Gwen pointed out, "So at least tell me why that guy is after you."

"Because I didn't kill you." He replied as he finally got to the locks and worked to undo them. Gwen in turn punched him, sending him toppling onto his back as his head collided with a small table. "You don't give up, do you?" He asked as he glared at her, "And besides, that really hurt; did you take self-defense lessons or something?"

"I'm sorry," Gwen said, "But when one of the biggest pains of my life suddenly shows up to my door, looking like a hobo and saying that a bunch of guys are trying to kill him, I want to know! We can work out a deal; you tell me what I want to know, and you can crash here tonight."

"You'll only get hurt." Chris said as he tried to get up.

"Well, at least get something to eat." She said. A loud grumble interrupted Chris' rebuttal, prompting him to quietly groan in defeat.

"You have a deal." He said as Gwen smirked.

"And don't try anything stupid," She said, "I've already had to deal with your shit for as long as I've known you." She led the man to the kitchen, forcing him to sit down at the wooden table for four. "It's nothing fancy," Gwen said as she opened a plastic container, "It's only leftover spaghetti."

"Can you bring it here?" Chris asked.

"Don't you want it warmed up?" Gwen asked, "It's pretty cold."

"I'll eat it as is." He said.

"Okay." She said as she placed the container in front of her. Instantly, Chris dug in as handfuls of pasta disappeared in quick gulps, red sauce dripping from his lips. "Whoa, slow down!" Gwen said, "I can't help you if you choke!" But the pasta carnage continued as the older man demolished the meager portion in under five minutes, leaving him to lick tomato sauce off his fingers and around the container.

"Sorry," He gasped, "I…guess I was hungrier than I thought."

"That carnage would put Owen to shame!" She exclaimed.

"How is Owen?" Chris asked.

"I guess he's okay," Gwen said, "I mean, I don't talk a lot with the big guy, but we keep in touch; he's picked up needlework."

"Good to know," He said, "He's a good kid. All of you are very good kids."

"Even Duncan?" She asked.

"Even Duncan," He replied, "He's rough around the edges, but he just needs to accept tender love and care, and he'll be a good kid."

"We're talking about the kid who blew up your mansion!" Gwen reminded.

"He did?" He asked.

"He did, with dynamite, on television! He even did a dopey dance in the ashes!" She said "Wait, you forgot about that? You were so broken up about it, you barely spoke for a full day! You had him sent to jail!"

"Oh." Chris said.

"That's all you can say?" She asked.

"Yeah," He said, "Probably because I never owned a mansion to begin with. Or anything, for that matter."

"Wait, what?" She asked.

"I suppose this is where I uphold my end of the bargain." Chris started, "The truth is that I was supposed to kill you in the first season, as well as the other 21 children. Or teenagers in this case, you're not really a kid anymore."

"Wait, what?!" Gwen asked.

"I'm part of a secret organization that is trying to decrease the human population," He continued, "And it's done through reality programing. Randomly selected persons are recruited to participate in the 'reality show', making complete fools of themselves for the sake of quality programing and the promise of a meager cash prize. And once they are 'eliminated', they are taken off-set, killed, and then replaced with a replica agent that is programed to go back home, and begin a massacre, blaming it all on a made-up terrorist group. Basically, the organization I'm a part of is in control of all that you watch. Does that about cover everything?"

"Half." Gwen replied, "But what about you?"

"Well," Chris started hesitantly, "I'm an experiment. I guess the best way to describe what I am is that I'm sort of a test-tube cyborg."

"A…test-tube cyborg?" Gwen asked, "That doesn't make any sense."

"It's simple," He explained, "First you take the genetics of a 'mother' and 'father', create a synthetic egg and sperm from such to initialize fertilization-."

"I don't need a biology lesson!" She blurted out.

"Right," He realized, "Basically, I was 'created', then outfitted with inorganic parts."

"So, some sort of cyborg, or whatever." Gwen said, "So, does that mean you might have a flame thrower in your arm or something?"

"Nothing that outlandish," Chris said, "It's more like turning your brain into a computer. My entry ports are on the back of my neck, but they're covered up most of the time."

"Entry ports?" She repeated.

"Yeah," He replied, "It's like what you would find on your laptop or any standard computer. This allows programmers to install my host protocols and any updated information about contestants, location, and other vital information. Once the season ends, they uninstall it, and I'm left in the dark until the next season."

"But you should've been able to remember that Duncan was thrown in jail." Gwen asked.

"Maybe my programmers deemed the memory 'insignificant' for long term memory storage." Chris suggested.

"Alright, what about that 'host protocol' you said earlier?" She asked.

"A better way to explain that is that it's an upload of my personality and overall mission." He explained, "Have you noticed I've grown more sadistic and cruel over the seasons, right?"

"Yeah, you did." She admitted.

"They keep updating it before each season," He explained, "Because…something's wrong with me."

"What do you mean?" She asked, "Are you sick?"

"No," He replied, "It's more like…I have a defect."

"Like, you're not performing your mission, or whatever?" Gwen asked.

"Exactly," Chris said, "No matter how mean I was made to be, I couldn't kill any of you. Or at the very least, send you to the very place where you were supposed to die."

"Wait, that's why there was the Playa de Losers in the first season?" Gwen asked.

"I told the intern that was driving the boat the wrong directions, so it would lead to that special area." He explained, "They didn't kill anyone there because the persons that lived there had internet and phone access, so the risk of being exposed was way too high. I basically made the organization pay a small resort to host a bunch of teenagers, just to keep their plans under wraps."

"So, all those other times…" Gwen said.

"All to keep you and everyone from the kill zone." Chris finished, "I know it's not glamorous to be flushed down a toilet, or launched with a catapult, or to be shoved out of a plane in a foreign country. But it's better than being dead."

"I nearly fell over Niagara Falls!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Sorry." He said, "Were you hurt?"

"No, as you can see." Gwen said as she gestured to her body, "I somehow made it out okay. The other guy got hurt really bad."

"Is he…" He asked.

"No, he didn't die." She said, "Was in traction the last I've checked. Guess you really are a different person without that protocol, or whatever."

"More or less," Chris said, "Despite my increased aggressive behavior, I could not bring myself to kill anyone; program or not. After the fifth season, they had enough and ordered for my extermination."

"What about Chef?" Gwen asked.

"He's my supervisor," He explained, "Keeps me safe. Keeps me under control. But…he's also a very close friend."

"Isn't he going to hunt you down?" She asked.

"No, doubt it." Chris said, "He's the one that uploaded an improvised personality into me and allowed me to escape before I was exterminated."

"Oh." Gwen said.

"I think that covers about everything." Chris said, "Anything else you want to know?"

"I…think that's all I can stomach at this moment." Gwen admitted.

"Now if you excuse me," The older man said as he stood up, "I got to get back to being on the run again."

"Hold on a second!" Gwen said.

"What now?" Chris asked.

"Our deal!" She reminded.

"Right," Chris uttered, "I tell you what's going on, and I get a meal. That's the agreement we've reached, and have been fulfilled as far as I'm concerned. So, what else do you want from me?"

"I…I don't know!" The teenager said as she threw her hands in the air.

"Are you…concerned about me?" Chris asked.

"I shouldn't, but I am!" Gwen admitted, "I mean, you've made my life a living hell in the past. And yet, you're not the guy I hate. Just stay until morning, okay? It's late."

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yeah," The teen replied, "You can take a shower too; you reek."

"Yeah, I do." He admitted, "But I'll take you up on your deal and stay until morning. After that, I'm gone."

"Fine by me." Gwen said, feeling a little satisfied.

/

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

Brain's a little scrambled. Hope this doesn't suck

All characters belong to Tom McGillis and Jen Pertsch

/

The next morning, Gwen stirred awake as the sun shone through the blinds. A quick glance revealed it was close to ten in the morning, so she climbed out of her warm bed with a grunt, feeling the cold wooden floor under her feet. 'Need coffee.' She thought as she left her room and shuffled to the kitchen, eyes dangerously close to closing again. But as she approached the kitchen, light sounds of snoring drifted through the air, making her eyes pop. Her shuffling turned to careful tip-toe as she snuck down the hall, sneaking into the living room to discover Chris in the middle of the floor, wrapped tightly in a mass of blankets as his head laid lopsided on the carpeted floor. 'Right,' She reminded herself, 'Had a visitor spend the night.' Against her better judgement, Gwen carefully crept towards the sleeping man and then lifted his head a little to slide a pillow underneath. She winced as he stirred a little, but the man muttered something and went back to sleep, burring his face into the comfortable cushion.

'Sleeping like the dead.' She thought as she walked out, continuing her mission to the kitchen, 'How long was he on the run?' Walking up to the kitchen, she reached for the grinds and filters, only nearly drop them when the phone started to ring, making her scramble to get to the receiver and answer it. "Hello?" She asked.

"Hi honey!" Her mom greeted over the phone, making her breath hitch in her throat, "How are things back home?"

"Fine," She said nervously, "Just fine."

"Gwen, is something wrong?" Her mother asked, "Do I need to come home?"

"No, everything's fine!" Gwen assured, "You just caught me off guard. I just woke up and I didn't expect you to call so soon!"

"Okay, if you're sure," Her mother said, "I only called you because I might be stuck over here longer than I thought; your aunt suddenly took a turn for the worst, and we ended up doing a lot of the house work." Gwen nodded as she heard her mother ramble on and on about her aunt's cactus garden and how she was able to grow them in Canada when the teenager noticed Chris stumbled into the kitchen, gripping the blanket tightly around his body as he pulled the refrigerator door open. "Gwen, are you listening?" Her mother asked.

"Sorry," Gwen said as she watched the half-asleep man dig through the refrigerator and pull out a milk carton and a package of hot dogs, "I'm still sleepy, and I didn't get to make the coffee yet."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear." Her mom said, "I'll let you get back to your morning routine; just wanted to see how my Gwenny-baby faired her first night alone!"

"I've been alone before." The teen reminded as she watched Chris try to open the hot dogs with his teeth.

"I'll let you know how things go," Her mother said, "Love you! And your brother says he loves you too! Bye-bye!"

"Bye!" Gwen said sweetly before hanging up and groaning, slamming the phone into its cradle. "Chris, what are you doing?" She asked as she turned her attention to the host as the package hung from his teeth.

"Wha?" He croaked out.

"Have you heard of scissors?" She asked as she swiped the hot dogs. The host just started at her with dull eyes, eyelids threatening to close. "Hey, are you okay?" Gwen asked.

"Mmm-hmm…" He groaned as his head collided with the table.

"Did I wake you or something?" She asked.

"Naw." He moaned, "Don't think I slept at all. I gotta look terrible right now."

"Yeah, you can pass as a zombie right now." She said, "No offence."

"Whatever a zombie is, sure." He mumbled.

"I'll make some breakfast," Gwen said as she turned her attention to the fridge, "All I got is some freezer waffles, and no, you're not eating them cold."

"No, don't do that." Chris said, "I-I already overstayed. I should get going."

"You can barely stand," Gwen pointed out, "That, and you tried to open some hotdogs with your teeth."

"Seen someone else do it before." He said as he laid his head on the table.

"Look, just relax and let me get things started," She said as she slid some waffles in the toaster, "It's no big deal."

"Okay." He mumbled, "You win…" A small snore erupted as he fell asleep on the table, messy black hair falling over his face. With the depress of the toaster lever, she left the host to sleep and went back to her room to get dressed. With the shut and lock of her bedroom door, Gwen pulled out a simple black t-shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, and her black boots from her closet, and laid them out on her bed.

"Well, now what do I do?" She asked as she started to change, "Maybe I should call someone? No, that's a terrible idea; who would I call anyway? What would I say anyway? 'Hey guys, I have Chris McLean at my house, and he's not such a huge ass as he is on television; he's just some weird test-tube guy with a computer brain and is on the run for not killing us!' I would sound as crazy as Izzy…" She pulled her head through her t-shirt, and glanced over at a full-body mirror that was on tacked onto the wall. Gwen reached out and touched the cold glass, the slight chill reminding her that she was sane and in reality. "Keep it together," She said quietly to her reflection, "You've been through weirder. You've survived worse. I…can do this…" But the mantra failed as Gwen let out an exasperated sigh, hanging her head in disbelief. "I had people help me," She admitted, "I'm basically alone at this point!" Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Gwen held her head up. "Now what?" She asked as she opened the door to her room and began her trudge to the front door as the newcomer kept pressing the doorbell over and over. "I'm coming, hold your horses!" She called as she unlocked the door and threw it open, nearly falling back on her butt.

"HI GWEN!" Cody and Owen greeted.

"Hey, girlfriend!" LeShawna said as she and Sierra peered over Owen's shoulders.

"Guys!" She gasped, "I…I didn't expect you!"

"Well, we were in the neighborhood," Owen admitted as the four teens walked in, "And we thought to say 'hello'. So, 'hello'!"

"Did we come at a bad time?" Cody asked as he poked his head around.

"No…" Gwen answered, "It's fine…"

"Did you get another boyfriend?" LeShawna asked.

"No!" The goth answered abruptly, "I mean, no; I swore off boyfriends for a long while."

"You can't fool me," Sierra said as she moved to the front of the group, "So who did you hook up with this time?"

"No one!" Gwen assured, "I'm seriously single!"

"Do I smell waffles?" Owen suddenly said, and Gwen suddenly remembered.

"Crap!" She shouted as she ran to the kitchen. A small amount of smoke was rising from the toaster as she ran for the appliance and pulled the plug. She turned to the table to find that Chris was gone, blankets and all. 'Where did he go now?!' she thought.

"I knew I smelled waffles!" Owen said as he popped into the kitchen.

"Yep!" She hastily assured, "Darn waffles got stuck in the toaster again! Here, help yourself!" She tossed the toaster to Owen and ran for the living room.

"What are you doing?" Cody asked as Owen tried to pull the burnt waffles out.

"Gotta find a spare toaster…somewhere!" Gwen answered as she scanned the living room to find it empty.

"We can help you find it." LeShawna offered.

"Nope, totally got it under control!" Gwen said as she checked the broom closet, "I know I have a spare toaster somewhere!"

"Who buys a spare toaster?" Sierra asked.

"Maybe one was given as a gift?" Cody suggested.

"That would be a terrible gift," LeShawna said, "No one wants a toaster for anything."

"Hey Gwen, got any syrup?" Owen asked.

"Check the walk-in cupboard!" Gwen called. The big teen looked around until he saw a large door. He opened it and saw Chris sitting against the wall, wincing at the sudden brightness.

"Hey, Chris buddy?" Owen whispered, "Hate to bug ya while you're tryin' to sleep, but can you pass the maple syrup?" The older man looked around and then handed Owen the syrup. "Thanks." He said as he stepped out and closed the door.

"Who were you talking to in there?" Cody asked.

"Chris." The big teen said as he squeezed the syrup into his mouth.

"Oh," The smaller boy said, "That's interesting."

"Wait, Chris is in there?" LeShawna asked.

"That, or Gwen's dad," Owen continued, "But I don't know if Gwen's dad looks like Chris or not."

"Gwen doesn't have a dad." Sierra said as she opened the door, the three gathering around as Chris flinched from the light, pulling his blanket over his head. "What the!?" She screamed.

"Gwen!" LeShawna shouted, "We found your spare toaster!"

"Crap!" Gwen shouted as her rapid footsteps thudded through the house.

"Chris, what are you doing in there?" Cody asked.

"Sleepin'." He mumbled as he pulled the blanket over his head.

"You don't think he…and Gwen…?" Sierra uttered in a horrified tone.

"No, no way!" LeShawna denied.

"What, what happened?!" Gwen shouted as she entered the kitchen.

"Are you dating Chris now?" Sierra asked.

"WHAT?! NO!" The goth shouted.

"Why is he here then?" LeShawna asked, then gasped and her eyes grew wide, asking, "Did he try to what I think he did?!"

"What do you think he did?" Cody asked.

"The wild thing!" The sassy sister shouted.

"Wait, what?!" The smaller teen gasped.

"No, no, nothing like that!" Gwen shouted as Chris tried to join her side, "It's a very long story!"

"QUIET!" Owen said causing everyone to stare at him. "Here's how it's going to go down." He started, "Gwen, you and Chris will start explaining…all of this. And the rest of us will listen and shut up until you're finished. After all that, we'll ask our questions and then try and figure out what to do next. Is that clear?" The rest nodded in agreement, allowing the large teen to smile. "Good." He said.

"When did you get so assertive?" Cody asked.

"Noah gave me some lessons," Owen admitted as he tapped his fingers, "Just in case I run into someone like Al. And I kinda had it with all the fighting."

/

To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

Brain's a little scrambled. Hope this doesn't suck

All characters belong to Tom McGillis and Jen Pertsch

/

"So yeah; Chris is some sort of test-tube baby with a computer brain and every reality show is a front to kill a lot of people." Gwen finished as the six were seated in the living room, "Anything I forgot?"

"Nah." Chris replied as he lazily looked over, "That's everything. We're done."

"Can we talk now?" Cody asked.

"The floor is open to the visitors." Owen said.

"Okay," The shorter teen said, "First of all, can we see those slot things you mentioned?"

"What? Why?" Gwen asked.

"I just wanna see them," Cody said, "They sound kinda neat."

"Maybe in a little while," Chris mumbled, "I'm pretty sure everyone wants to ask that question."

"What question?" Cody asked.

"Do you expect us to believe that?" Sierra asked.

"Oh." The smaller teen realized.

"Take it or leave it, Sierra." Chris said as he straightened up, "That's the true story, not the story you've found."

"Oh please!" The fan uttered, "Yes, I can be hyper-active, and obsessive in some cases, but I'm not stupid."

"What Sierra is trying to say," LeShawna butted in before Sierra launched into a long rant, "Is that I think this is all a big prank."

"But what about the guy that came to my house last night?" Gwen asked.

"It may have been an actor." The sassy teen suggested.

"Then why did he spend the night here?" The goth asked.

"That…" LeShawna said, "I'm not sure."

"You said that man last night showed you a picture of Chris," Sierra said, "What was the photo actually?"

"It kinda looked like him when he was younger," Gwen admitted, "Shorter hair, shorter in general, and didn't have facial hair. He was also wearing green coveralls for some reason; didn't think he was a mechanic."

"He's not," Sierra said, "That photo you described sounded like a movie he was going to play a bit part in."

"Bit part?" Gwen repeated.

"In what movie?" Cody asked.

"Back when he was still in the boyband stuff," Sierra explained, "Chris was wanting to try his hand at acting. Some director allowed him a bit part in some naval-fighter plane action movie; forgot what it was called."

"So, he was in a movie," Owen said, "We already know that."

"Actually," The fan said, "He wasn't."

"So, he got cut, big deal." LeShawna said.

"That wasn't the reason," The fan answered, "He disappeared; wiped off the face of the earth. No one could find him or contact him. A lot of people thought he died, or was kidnapped, or decided to quit show business. But three years later, he reappeared with no real explanation; the whole incident was dismissed as some sort of stardom day dream that went too far."

"Sorry to interrupt," Cody said, "But here's a thought. What if that weird organization had kidnapped the original Chris, killed him or locked him up somewhere, and replaced him with this one?"

"Might be plausible," Sierra admitted, "But there is one thing; his mom."

"Right," Owen said, "Moms know their kids inside and out."

"Well, yeah." The fan said.

"Here's another point," Gwen said, "If she'd noticed this Chris ain't hers, why would his mom keep quiet?"

"The organization bribed her or something," LeShawna reasoned, "Either paid her, or said something along the lines of 'Pretend this is your kid, or else your real son gets it!'."

"Kinda like a cuckoo bird." Cody remarked.

"Either that or the original Chris was a bigger jerk than this one, and she was happy to have a replacement." The sassy sister added. A sniffle made Gwen look over to see Chris trying to stop himself from crying as fat tears dribbled down his cheeks. "He okay?" She asked.

"I don't know," Gwen admitted, "Maybe he sprung a leak?"

"I-I'm fine." He sniffled, "Just hearing al this 'mom' talk had probably triggered something. Keep going."

"No, why don't you toss your two cents into this?" Sierra asked, "Tell me, how long were you with your mother?"

"Not long…" He answered as he tried to wipe his face, "I remember that she is my mom, what she looks like, but nothing else."

"Maybe they deleted those memories." Owen said, "That's kinda sad if you can't remember all the times you spend with your mom."

"Well, you probably still do remember something if you're crying that badly," LeShawna pointed out, "Maybe you do, but you just can't access them."

"Maybe we can access his brain?" Cody suggested, "If those scientists upload and delete stuff through those ports, then maybe we can. If not, just take a little peek."

"I don't know," Owen said, "It would kinda feel wrong."

"Even so," LeShawna added, "I don't think we can break into a human brain with a laptop."

"Please try," Chris uttered quietly, "There are things in my head that I want to know about."

"There's only so much a laptop can do," Gwen tried to explain, "And I don't think anyone is that tech-savvy."

"Let's just try it," Cody insisted, "No harm in trying."

"Fine, I'll go get my laptop." The goth said in utter defeat. "Keep an eye on him," She said as she walked off, "I don't want him to try to go to sleep in the oven." The four teens were left with the host as he tried to keep his crying under control.

"So," Owen started, "Your personality is just one big computer program."

"Yeah." Chris answered.

"So," The big teen continued, "Is this like your default or something?

"No," The man answered, "It's something that Hatchet programmed before I escaped."

"What happens if you don't have a personality installed?" Cody asked, "Or…anything installed?"

"I'd probably be a human doll then," Chris said, "Just sitting there…let the whole world pass by."

"That's a creepy thought." LeShawna admitted.

"How about the possibility that there are probably hundreds, maybe thousands of people like him?" Sierra pondered, "All without a host protocol installed, and just sitting there, or maybe hanging-."

"Okay, I get the picture!" The sassy sister said as she covered her ears.

"Got it." Gwen said as she came back with a laptop and a handful of cords, "Chris, why don't you…show us your slots?"

"That sounded wrong." Cody admitted.

"You don't think I know that?" The Goth asked.

"I get the gist." Chris said as he crawled of the couch and allowed the blanket to fall off his shoulders, exposing his naked back to the audience. He tried to unfold a section of skin along the spine, exposing several ports similar to USB and LAN ports, along with several other holes that looked like amplifier jacks.

"Gross." Cody said with an amused expression.

"Okay," Gwen said as she turned on her laptop, "I'm gonna plug the USB cable in. Ready?"

"Sure." The older man replied. Gwen nervously gulped and eased the cable in, carefully wiggling the end in until it clicked. She took the other end and slipped it into the laptop's USB port as it finished booting up. The teens gathered around the laptop as Gwen started searching through her files. One file was simply a long string of numbers and letters, prompting Gwen to click it. Suddenly, the screen flashed and a green window popped up, revealing a long list of codes and characters.

"What is all this?" LeShawna asked.

"Beats me." Owen said.

"Maybe it's all part of that improvised 'host protocol'." Gwen suggested.

"Maybe." Sierra said as she quickly took a picture.

"Can I see?" Chris asked.

"Hold on." The goth said as she carefully scooted over and angled the laptop while Chris angled his neck to allow him to see.

"Yeah, this is an improvised 'host protocol'," He said, "Scroll a little farther down; I think the memory files are there." Gwen scrolled down and the five saw multiple files aptly named after contestants.

"Click on one." Owen asked. Gwen picked one labeled 'LeShawna' and the screen filled with what looked like an entry form with a low-resolution image of LeShawna attached.

"Kinda looks like the entry form for 'Total Drama'," LeShawna said as she peered over Gwen's shoulder, "With a terrible picture."

"There's actually more listed here than the entry form," Sierra pointed out, "See? Here are several hobbies, interests, and phobias. This is basic level fan knowledge here."

"Guess this is just a basic background file for every contestant." Gwen said. But after she passed the file for Zoey, there were several files for people they haven't heard of. "Here we go." She said as she clicked on a file, pulling up a form of a man with a middle-aged man with thinning hair and glasses.

"Dr. Marcus Woods," Sierra read, "Haven't heard of him."

"That was the guy that came to my house last night!" Gwen realized, "He was the guy that Chris was running from!"

"Woods is responsible for programming my host protocol," Chris explained, "And is currently trying to kill me."

"Good to know." Cody said as Gwen closed the window and opened another one, revealing a sort of recording. The recording showed someone staring at the wall, which opened to reveal Hatchet as he reached out and hoisted the viewer over his shoulder.

"I think we found a memory." Gwen said as the view showed the back of Hatchet's feet as they walked down a hall, "First person view too."

"Kinda lame." Cody remarked. The view switched as the grey floors to white and Chris being upright and forced to stand in front of a mirror. "Now we're getting somewhere." He remarked as Chris looked down at his reflection, showing that he was wearing a hospital gown.

"Hold still." Hatchet ordered in the recording.

"Sorry." Chris replied as the mirror lit up, revealing Hatchet, Woods, and an unknown woman in a lab coat.

"Hold still for a minute," Woods said into a microphone, "We're going to scan your entire body for…defects." The recording bobbed in understanding as the small room lit up and a whirring sound was heard around him. Beyond the mirror, Woods started to talk as he gestured to his clipboard while the woman peered over. Suddenly, Hatchet began to yell at him and slapped the clipboard out of his hands, clattering against the window. Woods in turn began to calmly explain something while the woman stared at him. The whirring suddenly stopped and the lights went out, leaving Chris to stare at his reflection again.

"Hey, why can't we hear what they're saying?" Owen asked.

"Guess that room is soundproof," Gwen suggested, "That, or Chris' hearing is not as good as it used to be. No offence."

"It's soundproof," Chris explained, "That was an examination chamber you just saw; think of it as a body scanner."

"Let's just get out of that for a while." The Goth said as she closed the window.

"Should we look at another one?" Cody asked.

"Try that one." LeShawna said as she pointed to a file. Gwen clicked on it and the five were instantly greeted by the sight of hanging intestines. "What the hell!" She screamed out as the group let out a scream and tried to cover their eyes.

"I think you clicked on the time I woke up during exploratory surgery," Chris explained, "They forgot to anesthetize me, but I have a high pain tolerance."

"When you're getting cut open," Cody shouted, "You say something!"

"It was interesting to see my own guts," The older man admitted, "I even helped the doctor find a paper clip in my liver."

"Click on another memory!" LeShawna shouted. Gwen opened another memory of Chris walking up to a door, the hint of a bouquet of flowers seen just below the line of eyesight.

"It's safe." Gwen assured as the others uncovered their eyes. Chris knocked on the door and the door opened, revealing an elderly woman with black hair and a few grey streaks, her eyes lit up behind a pair of thin-wired glasses. The woman threw her arms around Chris and forced him to her level, his head over her shoulder.

"Happy Mother's Day." Chris said.

"Oh, it's good to see you, Chrissy-poo!" The woman said as she held him at arm's length, pulling him in again and giving him a kiss.

"Aw," Owen remarked, "Is that your mom?"

"I…I think so." Chris said as he started to cry again.

"This is kind of a nice memory," LeShawna said as they watched Chris' mom gush over his son and ask the usual questions, "A little sweet for my taste, but at least it isn't something nasty."

"Hey, do you retain memories when you have a host protocol installed?" Sierra asked.

"I don't think so," Chris answered, "Once the protocol is uninstalled, the memories are gone."

"But this seems like that this memory has been made before you ran off," Gwen remarked, "If you showed up to your mom looking like a hobo, she would be concerned."

"She's right," Owen agreed, "So…maybe you have memories before you have one of those protocols installed."

"That, or these ones were included in the improvised protocol," Sierra uttered, "So that would probably mean that these memories are either fake, or were saved from other removed protocols."

"Would that mean that Hatchet's been saving certain memories?" Gwen asked.

"Makes sense," Le Shawna said, "If a lot of his brain is composed of computer parts, then it might be possible that you could save it on a flash drive and install it later or include it into another program. But I wonder why Hatchet installed these memories? Why would these be considered important?"

"Who knows?" Sierra answered, "Let's try this one." Gwen followed the fan's finger and clicked on a file, but a window did not pop up.

"What the?" The goth uttered as she clicked again, nothing happening, "I can't access this one."

"Maybe it's like when your brain blocks out certain memories," Owen suggested, "It's probably something traumatic."

"When did you get so smart?" Cody asked.

"Noah taught me a little of this and that," The big teen explained, "Even let me read some books from his personal library."

"Glad to hear he'd opened up a bit," Chris said, "He was quite a quiet individual."

"Maybe that's enough brain surfing for one day," LeShawna said, "I had all I can take."

"Yeah, I don't wanna pull up the wrong memory." Gwen said as she closed the program and pulled the cable out.

"So, now what?" Cody asked, "The five of us kinda know about the truth, but what do we do about it?"

"Telling someone would just make us look like a bunch of crazy persons," Sierra uttered, "And create a whole bunch of scandals."

"Not to mention that we'd probably be hunted down by those creeps," LeShawna added, "Make it look like an accident and sweep it under the rug."

"And telling other Total Drama contestants would put them in danger." Owen finished.

"Maybe I should get going," Chris suggested, "I gotta try and disappear."

"It's not going to change a thing," Gwen said, "We know what's going on. And even if you were able to disappear, what's going to stop them from going out and killing us, or making another Chris that's ten times as worse than what we've dealt with?"

"Well," Cody said as he rubbed his hands, "I don't know about everyone, but I'm starving. We need food and a break, so who's up for that?"

"Yeah, we need a break," LeShawna agreed, "This is a bit much. How about we go out?"

"What about him?" Sierra asked as he jerked a thumb at Chris.

"I can just stay home," He said, "I haven't slept well."

"You sure?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah," Chris replied, "Go and have a good time with your friends; I'll watch the house."

"Okay," The goth said, "I'll bring you back something."

/

To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4

Brain's a little scrambled. Hope this doesn't suck

All characters belong to Tom McGillis and Jen Pertsch

/

The five teenagers were at a local burger joint as they waited for their food. The orange and white plastic décor was a little offsetting, especially the mascot of a cup of fries smiling at whomever crossed its eyesight. "I just don't feel right about the entire thing." Sierra said, "We've all grown to hate him in five years. And now come to find out that it's basically a big lie."

"How do you think I feel?" Gwen asked, "I hated him with a burning passion! And now…I don't know. Is this what's it like to have that burning desire for revenge suddenly snuffed out?"

"Maybe," The fan said, "I kinda feel the same way."

"I hate to admit it," The goth said, "But I kinda feel…sorry."

"You ain't alone," Leshawna admitted, "Compared to the asshole that made our lives a living hell for three years, what Chris is now...he's a broken man."

"Not entirely broken," Cody said, "Just lost."

"I think he actually has a heart," Gwen admitted, "He had said something along the lines that we were good kids; that he didn't want anyone of us to get involved."

"Chris caring for someone other than himself," Leshawna sighed out, "That is a phrase I've never expected to say."

"So," Owen said as he scratched the table top with a finger nail, "With that improvised proto-what's-it…you think we could change his personality? Or maybe have him learn things that he doesn't know about?"

"Don't even think about it." Gwen said.

"I was just curious!" The big guy insisted, "Besides, it could probably help him out a bit!"

"We're not fiddling with his personality," The goth said firmly "Case closed."

"You've gotten a little defensive around him," Sierra pointed out, "Are you falling for him?"

"He's old enough to be my dad, maybe older." Gwen pointed out, "I'm just doing it because he's…pretty much defenseless."

"Still, he is older, and probably have some ways to defend himself." LeShawna said, "Don't need to act like he's your big bro or something. But you're right; fiddling with a man's brain is just plain wrong."

"When it comes to morals," Cody said, "Duh. But maybe this kind of stuff can be useful for people with memory problems."

"Didn't expect that from you." Gwen pointed out.

"I have dreams too, ya know." The smallest teen said.

"He wants to work in the medical field," Sierra reported, "Wants to help people with mental problems."

"Thank you for reporting that, Sierra." Cody flatly uttered.

"Sorry," The fan girl said, "I am working on that."

"Yeah…" The group said as they eyed her.

"Order number 10!" A person called.

"I'll get it." Owen offered.

"No, I got it." Gwen said as she stood up. As she walked towards the pick-up counter, she saw a pimple-covered teenager placed a full plastic tray of bags and drinks on the counter.

"Order 10?" He asked, his voice cracking.

"That's me." She said as she held the receipt as proof.

"Here you are; ketchup, mustard and silly sauce are in the bags." He said, "Anything else?"

"Nah, that's good." Gwen said as she picked up the weighty tray.

"Aren't you Gwen?" The zitty teenager asked, "Like, 'Total Drama' Gwen?"

"So what if I am?" She asked, "Are you going to spit in my face?"

"No, I kinda was hoping for an autograph." He asked shyly, "My sis and me are huge fans of yours."

"Oh, okay." She said, a little surprised, "Sure, I'll sign something." The ecstatic teen quickly produced a small note pad and a pen, and Gwen quickly scribbled out a signature.

"Thanks!" He said with a big smile.

"No prob…" She said, feeling a little hopeful and a little sad. In her head, she was screaming, 'Total Drama is a murder plot! I was almost killed!' But her mouth was shut as she made her way back to the table. "Sorry, someone wanted an autograph." She said.

"I'm surprised he didn't spit on you." LeShawna admitted.

"I think my status as a villain is starting to fade." The goth said.

"It is," Sierra said as she claimed her bag, "Ever since Courtney being exposed and you getting close to the good guys of the second generation. But that's just my two cents; it might be because people learn to forgive and forget."

"I don't care how," Gwen said, "I'm just glad that I'm considered good again."

"You were always good," Owen said, "It's that your heart didn't know where to go."

"But now it doesn't have to go anywhere for now," Cody admitted as he dumped some ketchup on his fries, "So, all that's left is to try and figure out the future."

"We really have changed, didn't we?" Leshawna asked.

"Kinda." Everyone admitted.

/

"We're home!" Gwen called as the five entered her house, "We got you a burger, but Owen ate your fries!"

"Sorry!" Owen called. But there was no response; barely a noise squeaked out in the eerily quiet home.

"He didn't leave, did he?" Sierra said as he closed the door.

"Spread out." Gwen ordered, and the five split up, Gwen heading towards the living room to find it surprisingly tidy; Chris' sheets folded up on the couch with the pillow placed on top.

"He's not in the kitchen!" Cody reported. Gwen raced towards her room, by passing Leshawna as she closed a closet door. She opened the door and found her bed had been made and her pajamas were folded up on top.

"He's been in my room." She muttered as a shiver raced up her spine. But Gwen shook it off and headed towards the next room, finding the door slightly opened. She swung it open and caused Owen to yelp out and drop a t-shirt. "Owen!" She scolded.

"Sorry," He said, "Your bro has some interesting shirts." The goth rolled her eyes as Sierra skipped up to her, shaking her head.

"Not in your mom's room, the bathroom, or the garage." She reported.

"One more place, then." Gwen said. The goth headed towards a door next to her room and opened it, revealing a staircase that lead to the basement.

"We can come with, if you want." Owen offered as he and Sierra joined her.

"No," Gwen said, "The stairs are old and they'll probably break. I…I got this." She reached over and flicked the light switch, but the light bulb burned out with a quick flash. With a quick swallow, she carefully walked down the wooden stairs, loud creaks were heard under her boots as she winced at the volume. As she got closer to the ground, she could barely see a faint glow of her laptop in the distance, causing her to sigh. But when she put weight on the next stair, it gave out and she fell down with a scream, landing face first on the cold floor.

"Gwen?" A familiar voice asked as something softly paddled across the cold ground, "Are you okay?" Gwen looked up to barely depict a shambling form approaching her, the glow of the laptop slowly swallowed as it got closer. She tried to scoot to the wall, her heart starting to pound as quiet gasps squeaked out of her throat. "Gwen, it's Chris," He said as two hands clasped gently on her shoulders, "You're okay. Breathe."

"Chris," Gwen realized, "Wha-what the heck are you doing here?!"

"I was trying to find a way to unlock those memories," Chris said, "Or at least try and explore my own mind a little."

"But why in the basement?" She asked.

"Well," The older man said, "If one of your nosy neighbors peered in and see me, they might call the cops and…well, the rest explains itself."

"Let's just go upstairs," Gwen said, "We got you some food."

"In a minute," Chris said as he returned to the laptop, "I think I'm close."

"But what if its something you don't want to see?" Gwen asked, "I mean, sometimes there's a good reason why those memories are locked away!"

"Just go back upstairs and tell everyone I'm down here," The older man said as he re-hooked himself to Gwen's laptop, "I'll put your laptop back once I'm done." Gwen was going to argue, but the man was already tapping away at the computer. She ended up taking a seat next to Chris, huddling close to his body. "Aren't you scared of the underground?" He asked.

"I'll put up with it." She said firmly. The older man shrugged as he continued typing, lines of numbers, letters and symbols growing longer and longer with each keystroke. "Are you naturally good with computers, or is this another part of the host protocol?" She asked.

"Don't know to be honest," Chris replied, "It feels like it's a talent I shouldn't actually have, but it's almost second nature to me. But I don't know if this is actually doing anything, or if it's just a waste of time. I could've just been typing long lines of crap for no reason other than to make myself look like a jackass."

"Doesn't seem like that to me." Gwen admitted, "But I don't know jack about computers."

"I don't think anyone knows…" He said. With another line typed out, he pressed enter and the screen went black. "Oops…" He quietly said.

"What did you do?!" The teen asked.

"I don't know!" He replied. The screen lit up again and a window popped up, revealing it to be a video clip. It took place in a long, dark green corridor, a set of double doors perched at the end.

"What is this?" Gwen asked.

"I remember now…" Chris said as fear tainted his voice.

"What, what is it?" She asked. He only pointed at the screen as she turned to see Chris had reached the double doors and gingerly pushed the doors open. He looked through the door and saw body bags hanging off of meat hooks, several bags stained with dried blood. The footage continued as Chris gingerly walked through the stone room, staring at certain bags as quiet whimpers drifted from the speakers. "Holy crap…" Gwen said, "The hell is this?"

"It gets worse." Chris whimpered. The feed continued as Chris reached the other side of the room and opened the door, revealing more bodies in plastic bags as they hung from the ceiling, lifelessly staring as the plastic glistened with a faint frost. Chris flinched as he came face to face with a corpse of a tan man with no eyes, face frozen mid-scream. The feed continued as he quickly pulled away and move through the maze of plastic and frozen flesh, staring at the floor more than the victims as his breathing became uneven and shaky. Suddenly, Chris tripped as the feed focused on the floor, a groan escaping from the speakers as he tried to stand up again.

"I don't wanna look at this anymore." Gwen said quietly as she covered her eyes.

"You don't have to," He answered quietly, "I need to." A loud scream erupted from the speakers as Chris let out a whimper. Gwen peered through her fingers and let out a scream as she was staring at a frozen corpse of another McClain as the jaw and tongue ripped out, the carnage trailing down as from the neck down trailed a long cut, bone and organ exposed to any passing audience. Gwen buried her face into his side as the screams died down on the computer. Chris quickly closed the window and threw an arm around the scared teen, his own heart pounding as his memory kept playing in his head. Carefully, he slipped his other arm under her legs and stood up, holding her bridal style as she let out a squeak. "I got you," He whispered, "I'm just going to take you upstairs. Don't worry, I got you."

"What were those rooms?" She asked quietly, "Why were there dead bodies? And…why was there another you?"

"I don't know." Chris admitted, "No one would tell me."

/

To be continued.


End file.
